GOP Self Destruction

Posted on January 28, 2012 by

Whether they realize it or not, the GOP establishment is sowing the seeds for the complete destruction of the Republican Party.

Read his lips

In 1980, they tried to get a moderate, pseudo-conservative nominated for President but had to settle for their man occupying the number two slot when Americans rallied around a real conservative in Ronald Reagan.

Bob Dole says...

In 1996, they selected their “next man in line” as the nominee only to see him trounced by Bill Clinton.

In 2000, a man who claimed the mantle of conservatism (though ended up a disappointment in many ways) stole the nomination from the Establishment’s beloved “maverick” and ended up with two terms.

Not a fighter

Then in 2008, they crowned yet another non-conservative as the nominee who ended up as cannon fodder for the Obama campaign.

After the McCain debacle and the Obama nightmare, millions of Americans stood up and formed the Tea Party movement. It is an underappreciated fact that Tea Partiers are almost as disgusted with non-conservative Republicans as we are with the Marxist policies of the Obama administration. If you are not a part of the solution, you are a part of the problem, and squishy Republicans like Chris Christie are mere placeholders in many respects, useless in terms of advancing a real conservative agenda.

The GOP has seen us. They have heard us. They know what we believe, how dedicated we are, and by now must know that we are not going away. We saw how well their preference for a moderate worked in 1996 and 2008. Yet they are trying once again, with the aid of former conservatives like Ann Coulter and others, to put their big government pseudo-conservative on the ticket.

They are going to kill the Republican Party.

I am a proud tea party activist. I am very well connected with scores of my fellow tea partiers. Up until now we have uniformly rejected talk of a third party because we know our history and are very familiar with the results of third party candidates in 1912, 1992, and 2000.

But if the GOP Establishment insists on putting another non-conservative up as our nominee, we may have no option other than to form a genuinely conservative third party.

Pseudo-Conservative

The GOP, in its perennial push to select another Big Government corporatist, is committing suicide by circling the wagons for the northeast liberal who is Mitt Romney.

Don’t say that we didn’t warn you.

Posted in Activism, Elections | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Ron Paul’s Biggest Problem

Posted on August 18, 2011 by

This does not apply to all Ron Paul supporters, just most of the ones with whom I have interacted. A couple of them have been more reasonable.

Me: You know, I have noticed a couple of things. First, Ron Paul’s isolationist stance will not sell to regular America. He simply cannot win the general election.

Ron Paul supporter: You’re just buying the media narrative. Ron Paul can win! He wants to dismantle the Federal Reserve and bring all of our troops home. I think that you are a rube to the media conspiracy! You need to watch the brilliant segment from John Stewart showing the truth.

Me: No, seriously. In fact, I have noticed that the vast majority of Ron Paul supporters are white guys between the ages of 20 and 40. Common sense about American electoral demographics suggests that this is not a winning “big tent” of support.

Ron Paul supporter: Man, wake the hell up. You are just regurgitating what that jerk Mark Levin says. Use your brain and spare me your “rules for radicals” tactics.

Me: No, seriously, one commercial showing him saying that he has no problem with those 12th Imam Caliphate nutjobs in Iran having nukes will spell the end of his chances. Do you want to replace Obama or not?

Ron Paul supporter: If Ron Paul does not get the nomination, I am voting for Obama. I will not vote for one of your corporatist neo-cons.

Me: Seriously? Obama? And you expect me to believe that you are a serious voter with that kind of talk?

Ron Paul supporter: I am done talking to you. When you stop these liberal tactics, let me know.

Me: I would suggest that perhaps you should look beyond your circle of friends sipping coffee at the local Starbucks and realize that the rest of America does not see things exactly the way that you do. Remember how America elected that empty suit idiot in 2008?

Ron Paul supporter: [unfriend on facebook] [blocked on twitter]

Me: Just damn. Enjoy the Kool Aid, sport. Let’s revisit this next summer when Ron Paul goes back to Houston and contemplates his 2016 run.

Posted in Elections, Politics | Tagged | 1 Comment

A Terrible Resolve

Posted on August 1, 2011 by

After the successful Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto, who had been educated in the US and knew well the character of our people, allegedly said “I fear that we have awakened a sleeping giant, and filled it with a terrible resolve”. History proved him correct, and Japan paid a well-deserved price for attacking our country.

I often repeated Yamamoto’s analogy and quote last year as we approached the historic 2010 elections. In fact, a sleeping giant was awakened when the American Tea Party movement reacted to the unprecedented statist onslaught from the Left by taking a majority in the House as well as picking up 6 more seats in the Senate. Though we were consistently trashed by the Left and the so-called intelligentsia in the media and academia as ignorant rednecks, they could not deny our drive and our results. To paraphrase the President: “we won”.

Not since September 11th, 2001 has anything drawn the two parties together like the Tea Party movement.

However, what has happened lately in the fight over our skyrocketing debt sheds some light on the truth of our broken system in DC. It is us versus them.

Not since September 11th, 2001 has anything drawn the two parties together like the Tea Party movement has. It is evident now that, with very few exceptions, the two parties have joined together to circle their wagons against our organized group of Constitutional Conservatives. It is abundantly clear that neither party is willing to do anything constructive about the 14 trillion dollar national debt. Instead, they successfully made this public debate about the debt limit, smiling as they metaphorically threw future generations under the bus to continue to feather their nests today with the earnings of still unborn Americans.

This Boehner deal, which is only good for the political class that parasitically lives off of the productive sector of America, only slightly slows down the speeding locomotive of increasing debt. Is that what we voted for when we put 87 new freshmen in the House? Did you expect 65 of them to bail on us, choosing the establishment over America? I did not, and I am quite the cynic.

There is a moment in every martial arts movie where the protagonist, typically someone who wanted to live peacefully but has been pushed too far, looks up slowly at the camera with a terrible resolve in his eyes. At that moment, everyone knows that it’s on. Our hero has decided that he has played nice long enough and that it is time to right some wrongs. This is where we are today, my fellow conservatives.

I naively thought that it was on before. I actually thought that they understood that we expected a new level of real accountability and that we were going to hold their feet to the fire. But with even the GOP treating our movement as if we are transplanted foreign tissue, it’s clear that they need another lesson in humility, another reminder that they are mere employees who can be fired any time and that they only rule with the consent of the governed.

They have re-awakened this giant, and they have filled us with a terrible resolve. But it is up to you. Are you ready to put the TV remote down and get off of the couch? Are you ready to play a role in this movement instead of just saying that you agree with us? It is time for every single one of us to step it up.

If all you do is rant online, it’s time to get very involved in a local group. If your activism consists of nothing more than going to a meeting once a month, it is time for you to become a leader. If you are already a leader, it is time for you to become a catalyst for other leaders. Throughout our history, many great people stepped up when America needed them. From Joseph Warren to Andrew Jackson to Alvin York to Lt. Mikey Murphy, the people who sacrificed to hand us this country are watching. They expect more from us. Please don’t let them down.

I beg you to get involved. Let’s not be the punk generation that lets the American Experiment slip away.

Your first step is to go here and find a local group. With the help of Tea Party Patriots, educate yourself on the issues and become a leader in our movement. We are going to win this thing, because failure is simply not an option.

It’s up to you. It is time that you stepped up for your country. To do anything less would be un-American.

I will close with a quote from the great Winston Churchill:

If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.

Posted in Activism, Politics, Tea Party | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Jim Jordan’s Reversal Move

Posted on July 28, 2011 by

Jim Jordan is about as good as it gets. In fact, on my web site which ranks strictly based upon votes, he is the number one tea party voter in the House. You can see the rankings by clicking here.

Jim spoke on a conference call I was in on a couple of weeks ago and I was very impressed. More importantly, Jim stands by our principles and stood firmly with us in opposition to the horrible Boehner debt increase plan. He is loyal. Same here. You? Keep reading.

Now in what has to be seen as retaliation for Jordan’s current and previous independence from the Establishment GOP’s dictates, John Boehner is reportedly approving an Ohio redistricting plan that gets rid of Jordan’s district. You heard that right. Stand up for what is right against the country clubbers and they will get you. That is hardball, friends.

Surely they know this means war. We have more House Cleaning to do than I had hoped. Apparently they simply did not get it last November.

Did you know that Jim was a four time state wrestling champ in high school and two time NCAA Division I champ in college? Mark Levin mentioned it while talking to Jim on his radio show.

In wrestling, when your opponent seems to have you, if you can accomplish a reversal, you can turn the tables quickly.

Jim’s district adjoins John Boehner’s district.

Jim’s Reversal: Move into Boehner’s disrict and primary him.

Let’s take up a collection to pay Jim’s moving expense. Let’s send a message so loud that even John Boehner and Mitch McConnell can hear it: you serve at our pleasure, you insubordinate former employees.

Posted in Activism, Dishonest Politicians, Politics, Tea Party | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Put Down the TV Remote, Get Off of the Couch

Posted on June 16, 2011 by

History will look back on this time as a critical moment in the course of the American Experiment. We are potentially standing astride a crease in American history, a crease that divides the [mostly] Constitutional Republic from something that looks more like the gray welfare states of Europe.

If you are not actively involved in this struggle, you are spitting in the faces of all of the incredible Americans in history who sacrificed to hand us this amazing Republic. This is on your watch, and just like Nathan Hale and Joseph Warren it is your job to step up and shoulder the burden when it is on your watch. Blogging and listening to Rush and posting articles to Facebook is not enough. Put down the TV remote and get off the sofa. I beg you to join a local Tea Party Patriots affiliated group and join the movement that will save America. Do not be fooled by other groups, the altruistic tea party is Tea Party Patriots.

I am very involved in the Tea Party movement. I am on the board of my local Tea Party and hold the title of Communications Director. Further, I am a local coordinator for the national Tea Party Patriots, which means that I am in the loop when it comes to plans and strategy. This weekend I attended a TPP local coordinators conference, which brought in local coordinators from around the US. If you met these people and saw the things that I saw in terms of our movement’s plans and strategy, you would be infused with hope and energy. I know that I am, and I am a hardcore cynic at times.

What I am asking for is real action. I meet a ton of people who are on board with our philosophy but have never been to a single Tea Party event, not even a Tax Day rally. Even then, most people have been to perhaps one event. The fact is that even the people who call themselves Tea Partiers go to a meeting once a month and for some reason they think that they are accomplishing something. We are a relatively small group of people, and we are pulling your weight. It is time for you to step up and sacrifice some of your time. The left is counting on you being obsessed with American Idol and other drivel.

Again, I implore you to become a metaphorical foot soldier in this movement, which is the ONLY HOPE for America. If the Tea Party fails, America morphs into Amerika and will never come back. It is a one way change, people. Please take me seriously on this. We need your help.

I want to relate a conversation that I had the other morning while I was hanging out waiting for the conference to start. The next conference room over contained a large group of soldiers who were about to deploy and were having a meeting. I noticed a big guy in BDUs walking down our way and as I always do, I went over to talk to him. Luckily I am familiar enough with the ranks to be able to walk right up and say “Thank you for your service, [officer rank here].” But his response surprised me and actually chokes me up again thinking about it. He held my handshake in a firm grip without letting go, nodded toward the sign that said “Tea Party Patriots” and asked “Are you with them?”. When I said yes, he leaned in and said “No, thank YOU for your service.”  I was floored. In our ensuing discussion it was agreed that while he was walking the line and watching our backs, he expected the Tea Party movement to be here back at home watching his back. Soon he had to go because he was leading their meeting, but when he left he shook my hand hard again and held it in a firm grip as he implored me “Don’t give up, Don’t let up, Don’t back down. We are counting on you guys.”

Is that enough for you to get off of the sofa? If not, nothing ever will.

Posted in Activism, Politics, Tea Party | Tagged | Leave a comment

Cut Up the Credit Cards

Posted on April 19, 2011 by

Carters Malaise Speech

I remember suffering through the dismal Jimmy Carter economy when I was a kid in about 1979 or 1980, as my step-father’s paving company struggled to survive. (As a side note, there are few better ways to learn about hard work than working with 300 degree asphalt over a hot Southeast summer). One evening my step-dad sat down at the dinner table and cut up every one of his credit cards.  He knew that the only way that he was ever going to claw his way out of debt was to stop adding to that debt.

Destroying your credit cards is certainly drastic, but the reality is that sometimes we need to play hardball with ourselves in order to do the right thing. It taught me a lesson that is very applicable to our country today.

We are now entering a debate about allowing Congress to raise the debt ceiling yet again, and it is very reasonable to apply our own personal finance lessons to our country’s fiscal situation.

There is no shortage of people, on both the left and the right, claiming that we simply must raise the debt ceiling. This is utter nonsense.  In fact, the survival of our economy and our country may well depend on refusing to acquiesce to the elites’ bad economic logic.

Let’s look at this on a personal level.

If you have $30K worth of credit card debt and you decide that you simply cannot accrue any more debt, you can cut up your credit cards. According to our tax-evading Treasury Secretary, this would mean that you now face “catastrophic economic consequences.”

Only in government could a person make the argument that refusing to permit increasing a 14+ trillion dollar debt spells disaster.

Clearly, in your own personal finances, when you stop increasing an already large debt you are in fact avoiding those catastrophic consequences.  Regardless of what these big spending statists claim, the same holds true for the United States Government.  Could it be that perhaps the elites and we regular people simply have a different definition of “catastrophic consequences”?

Geithner further asserts that this would amount to defaulting on the debt, but that argument is preposterous. Instead, all this means is that the federal government will be unable to continue to add to the debt, a debt that will have to be paid off by future generations long after today’s statist politicians and their crony capitalist allies are just dusty old names on federal buildings. One wonders what these self-interested hucksters in D.C. have against future generations of Americans, given that they have no problem metaphorically throwing them under the bus in order to feather their nests and buy votes today.

In fact, a post at The Economist sheds some light on the reality of the argument about the debt ceiling and default:

ALMOST everyone takes it for granted that a failure to raise the debt ceiling will eventually force the United States to default on its Treasury debt. This notion is superficially puzzling. The question is addressed in this week’s issue of The Economist. I’ll dig into it a bit more here.

A default would result from failure to pay principal or interest. The debt ceiling doesn’t bar either. Treasury can roll over maturing issues so long as the overall stock of outstanding debt doesn’t rise. (A caveat: Treasury must invest surplus Social Security and Medicare taxes by issuing non-marketable debt to the plans’ trust funds, which erodes the remaining capacity for marketable debt.) As for interest, even in today’s straightened circumstances, revenue is more than enough to cover interest charges. The helpful table below from Lou Crandall of Wrightson ICAP shows that in every month this year, projected cash receipts comfortably exceed interest payments; the narrowest margin comes in November, when receipts exceed interest by $131 billion.

In short, we have to raise the debt limit if we want to keep borrowing money. But given that continuing to borrow money simply kicks the can down the road for future generations to deal with, we should instead look at this as an opportunity to force Congress to stop spending. If they cannot raise the debt limit, they cannot borrow. If they cannot borrow, their accelerated looting of generations of unborn Americans can be halted in its tracks.

There is no doubt that this is not going to be easy.  The results for those who are living off of the rest of us via the bloated and mostly unconstitutional entitlement programs will be unpleasant to say the least. But given the current economy and the amount of debt accrued just over the last four years of Democrat control of Congress, borrowing more money is a luxury that we can no longer afford.

It is astounding that a group of people could possibly despise Americans who have not been born yet, but blowing the inheritance today while leaving them with a one hundred trillion dollar debt is a national act of descendant abuse.

We must not allow the debt ceiling to be raised.  It is time to cut up the national credit cards.

Posted in Economics, Politics | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Barack Alinsky

Posted on February 18, 2011 by

Saul Alinsky

It is now obvious that the President of the United States is actively involved in encouraging civil unrest in Wisconsin. While some want to believe that he is just a lefty politician pursuing lefty goals, his actions in meddling in the internal politics of one of the several States, as he also did in Arizona, shows that he is nothing more than a rabble-rousing community organizer like his hero Saul Alinsky.  Mr. Obama has demonstrated what many of us already knew:  he has no respect for federalism or the rights of states to govern themselves as they see fit. He acts more like a third world dictator than the President of the United States.

Writing over at The Right Sphere, RB hits the nail on the head with this observation:

Close your eyes and imagine what the media and the Lefty blogosphere would be saying today if we had learned that a Republican President’s re-election campaign was involved in organizing disruptive protests against a State Government. It’s hard to imagine because it would never happen. But it is currently happening in Wisconsin under our current Democrat President.

In fact, even the Washington Post speaks the truth about what President Barack Alinsky is doing:

Obama accused Scott Walker, the state’s new Republican governor, of unleashing an “assault” on unions in pushing emergency legislation that would change future collective-bargaining agreements that affect most public employees, including teachers.

The president’s political machine worked in close coordination Thursday with state and national union officials to get thousands of protesters to gather in Madison and to plan similar demonstrations in other state capitals.

Their efforts began to spread, as thousands of labor supporters turned out for a hearing in Columbus, Ohio, to protest a measure from Gov. John Kasich (R) that would cut collective-bargaining rights.

By the end of the day, Democratic Party officials were organizing additional demonstrations in Ohio and Indiana, where an effort is underway to trim benefits for public workers. Some union activists predicted similar protests in Missouri, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Even Speaker Boehner (who finally acquired some guts thanks to the Tea Party), does an excellent job of calling out the President for what he is doing:

“The President of the United States has a unique opportunity and responsibility to lead this nation. President Obama has acknowledged the challenges we face, but – thus far – he has done nothing to offer solutions. Now, worse, his political organization is colluding with special-interest allies across the country to demagogue reform-minded governors who are making the tough choices that the President is avoiding.

“This is not the way to begin an ‘adult conversation’ about solutions to the big challenges facing our country. Rather than inciting protests against those who speak honestly about the challenges we face, the President and his advisers should lead.

“When the American people watched the people of Greece take to the streets to protest cuts to unsustainable government programs, they worried it might foreshadow events in our nation’s distant future – but today, we see the same sort of protests on the streets of Madison, fueled by President Obama’s own political machine.

Finally, the always spot-on John Hayward warns us that this is only the beginning in a short piece over at Human Events:

You’re next, Ohio!  President Obama’s “Organizing for America” is ramping up its efforts to protect public union privileges from the objections of tax serfs.  A few thousand public union troops descended on Columbus Thursday, angry at Republican Governor John Kasich’s initiative to weaken their collective bargaining powers.  A chipper article in the Huffington Post reassures us that organizing efforts are now only “a week behind” Wisconsin.  And look how well that’s going!

If you’re an Ohio parent, you should probably start stockpiling educational materials, so you can teach your kids after the union teachers abandon them to join protests at the state house.  Ohio Democrats had better fire up Expedia and find themselves hotel accommodations in Pennsylvania.  You want to lock in the best possible price for your spider hole when you abandon your duties and flee the state to avoid tough votes.  Meanwhile, Ohio Republicans should negotiate for group rates on personal security.

After Ohio, the War On Taxpayers moves to Indiana, where the state Senate wants to limit the collective bargaining privileges of teacher unions.  A Bloomberg News article informs us one of the concessions unions have already won is that “certain teachers with 5 years of experience are not subject to evaluation in Indianapolis public schools.”  Now that’s what I call accountability!  I can’t understand why so many parents want to switch to a privatized education system where every teacher would be subject to evaluation.  They’re pretty much above criticism once they’ve been on the job for five years, right?

This radical community organizer is finally showing us something that he is good at: stirring up unrest. We should look for more and more of this from our empty suit President now that the American people neutered him in the last elections.

There is one good thing that can come out of this. People are seeing what the Bolshevik labor unions are all about, and they will not like it. Just like the illegal aliens who marched on May Day with their sea of Mexican Flags, these union thugs are doing real damage to their cause. It couldn’t happen to more deserving entitlement-attitude thugs.

Click here to see some of the signs carried by protesters, images that would have the media frothing if they were at a Tea Party rally.

Posted in Dishonest Politicians, Politics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Safety Net or Hammock?

Posted on February 18, 2011 by

We are at a moment where, if government’s growth is left unchecked and unchallenged, America’s best century will be considered our past century. This is a future in which we will transform our social safety net into a hammock, which lulls able-bodied people into lives of complacency and dependency.

In a thoughtful response to President Obama’s vacuous State of the Union Address, Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan completely nailed it with that one passage.  In a country where we once valued independence and a strong blue-collar work ethic, we have a group of entrenched statists in both parties who have figured out that the path to power is in making as many people dependent on government as possible.  Accordingly, just as the stray cat on your back porch will start to expect you to put out food every morning, a large group of Americans have come to expect and feel entitled to regular payments from those of us in the productive sector of America.

I have been reflecting for some time on the reality that the safety net has instead become a lifestyle subsidy, filling the recipients with an unwarranted sense of entitlement while allowing them to spend their money on luxury items, expecting the rest of us to fund the necessities of life. But as he often does, Paul Ryan articulated it in a very clear and meaningful way by pointing out that the system that was intended to temporarily help people in need has instead become a lifetime lifestyle subsidy. My only disagreement with Mr. Ryan is that I contend that this is not a future scenario; the safety net is already a hammock for an astounding number of Americans, and unsurprisingly they are angrily indignant at the very idea of giving up their baseless claim on the property of others.

We have all seen people in the grocery store with two piles of food items at the checkout line.  One pile is generic food that the taxpayers are paying for via a redistribution program while the other pile includes luxury food items like alcohol, tobacco, and expensive food. They free up their money for luxury items by making taxpayers pay for their basic items. For a similarly clear example, take a look at this picture, which accompanied a story about the Home Heating Assistance program in Macon, Georgia:

Indignant sense of entitlement

Indignant sense of entitlement

Showing her Georgia Power bills in the one warm room of her home, Raymeica Kelly explains how her mother, sister and herself were turned away from the Energy Assistance Program on Wednesday morning after standing in line for four hours. All three complained that the system the Macon-Bibb County Economic Opportunity Council uses to give out the assistance needs improving.

Take a good look at that picture.  Do you notice anything out of place given the description of this individual as someone who needs help paying her heating bills?  I see a huge wide screen TV and an X-Box 360, which seem to be luxury items for someone who expects the taxpayers to pay her heating bill.  Further, it is a safe bet that she is not just pulling a couple of broadcast channels out of the air.  No, she likely has two hundred cable channels for that huge and expensive television.  But of course, she has hard working taxpayers paying for large parts of her daily needs, freeing up her money to spend on fun things.

By definition, a safety net is a system designed to temporarily help people in their time of need.  This is most decidedly not what we have in America.  We have a huge group of people who want us to pay for the necessities of life so that they can have a big TV, a nice car, and a high-end cell phone.

Like it or not, these people are societal parasites.

Our so-called safety net must be retooled in order to prevent these perennial parasites from living their entire lives subsidized by the rest of us. With over $100 trillion of unfunded liabilities to be paid to people who have actually paid money into the system with the expectation of getting some of it back down the road, lifestyle subsidies like those given to Ms. Kelly are luxuries that we can no longer afford.

A good start would be a time limit. For example, you get six months of payments while you get back on your feet, then cannot receive welfare payments for another 5 years.  That should clear out some of the stray cats on our national back porch.

Posted in Economics, Politics | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Rule of Law?

Posted on January 28, 2011 by

In what kind of America does a company go to the President with hat in hand to beg to be granted the right to violate a new law that most Americans did not want?

What kind of America allows the President to grant waivers to laws passed by Congress?

That is not a rhetorical question.

•

Stop thinking that this discussion is merely about ObamaCare. You’re getting caught up in the noise. We all are. We think that this is about politics.

Clear your head and think about some things that actually matter. Think about that one history teacher who got through to you that year that you finally grasped how special America is. Think about that indescribable feeling deep in your soul when you look at our beautiful flag as you listen to the national anthem.  Think about the people who paid horrible prices so that they could hand over the American Experiment to us, from Crispus Attucks to the Marines who lost their lives in Afghanistan last week.

Think about whatever it takes for you to get to that state of mind where you are in awe of American Exceptionalism.

Clear your mind and think about the majesty and importance of the US Constitution.

Find your patriotic center.

•

This doesn’t have a damned thing to do with ObamaCare.

We talk about how it is “unfair” that the President is granting waivers on ObamaCare to certain corporations and groups, which is true.  But this is so much more fundamental than that.

The United States Congress passes a law, and the President of the United States gets to select who has to follow that law.

In that situation, is there any law?  Is that how your United States of America works?  Not mine, brother.

This is so much bigger than arguments over Interstate Commerce Clause overreach.  This is a fundamentally illegal and unconstitutional affront to our American Ideals.

•

What was tyranny again? Someone please remind me. I want to recognize it when I see it. The Declaration of Independence told me that I was supposed to look out for that sort of thing.

Posted in Government Corruption, US Constitution | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

David Ralston’s European Vacation

Posted on January 25, 2011 by

This post is specific to Georgia politics and as such may not be interesting to people outside of my state.

In an odd coincidence, the same week that the very conservative Georgia Tea Party Patriots teamed up with the very liberal Common Cause to push for ethics reform in Georgia, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution broke a story about the decidedly unethical behavior of the Georgia Speaker of the House, who happens to be my representative in the general assembly.  Speaker David Ralston, who reportedly opposes tightening the state’s ethics laws, has been accused of receiving several arguably unethical gifts from private interests, including a lavish trip to Europe with his family funded by lobbyists for a high speed rail project in Georgia.

From the article in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution:

House Speaker David Ralston and his family spent part of Thanksgiving week in Europe on a $17,000 economic development mission paid for by lobbyists interested in building a high-speed train line between Atlanta and Chattanooga.

Commonwealth Research Associates, a D.C.-based consulting firm, paid for the trip, which also included Ralston’s chief of staff Spiro Amburn and his spouse, to Germany and the Netherlands the week of Nov. 21-27, according to records filed with the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission, formerly known as the State Ethics Commission.

The trip was the most expensive single expenditure reported by a lobbyist since at least 2005.

Ralston said the trip helped him understand how European countries have succeeded in merging rail and roads with commercial development.

Further:

Since the Nov. 2 election, Ralston has accepted nearly $22,000 total in gifts and meals from lobbyists, including numerous dinners, Falcons and Thrashers tickets, and a Christmas dinner for himself, his staff and their spouses.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ralston took a page out of Richard Nixon’s playbook when he tried to deflect criticism away from himself.  Readers will recall that in 1952 then VP-candidate Nixon successfully deflected similar ethics charges away from himself by spinning the entire scandal as being about his daughter’s little dog, Checkers.  In David Ralston’s case, he tried to spin this trip to Europe as simply spending the holiday with his family rather than the fact that he got a free trip to Europe paid for by lobbyists who seek millions of taxpayers’ dollars to study and potentially build the rail line from Atlanta to Chattanooga.

Debbie Dooley, a state organizer for the Tea Party Patriots, said Ralston’s trip was not a purely working trip. Dooley said the Tea Party would be scrutinizing trips and other gifts from lobbyists and if Ralston blocks ethics legislation this year, the group will throw a tea party in his North Georgia district.

“That would be the type of trip that, even though on the surface was for business, they’re never going to say it’s a pleasure trip,” Dooley said. “But with them taking family along it sounds like it’s more like a pleasure trip than a business trip.”

Coincidentally, that same week well-respected political commentator Michael Barone wrote an article on the topic of high speed rail, coming to the conclusion that it simply does not make sense in America outside of the Northeast Corridor, noting that “our geography is different from France’s or Japan’s.”  Barone’s conclusion on the idea of high speed rail in Georgia would undoubtedly be that there already exists a high speed connection between Atlanta and Chattanooga – it’s called Interstate 75.

It is worth noting that Barone was able to take an in-depth look at the arguments for high speed rail without traveling to Europe, at his expense or at the expense of lobbyists seeking government largesse.

It does not matter that Ralston’s actions did not violate the law or state ethics laws.  Regardless of whether or not this advance payoff has an impact on Ralston’s support for high speed rail in Georgia, accepting that “gift” from lobbyists is a clear example of all that is wrong with politics in Georgia and America.

It would be obviously wrong if Ralston supported the rail project after receiving what many people may consider to be a bribe, but it is worthwhile to look at it another way.  What if the rail project is a good idea but Speaker Ralston chooses to oppose it in order to create the impression that he was not bribed by these lobbyists?  In either case, accepting this trip has destroyed his credibility.

This kind of legal corruption is what made many conservative Americans lose faith in the Republican Party and indirectly led to the disastrous Presidency under which we are now living.

David Ralston has betrayed the public trust and he needs to go.  Let’s make sure that this is his last term in the Georgia House.

Posted in Dishonest Politicians | 2 Comments